I really miss exotic vacations. It’s been far too long since I’ve felt the white sands of a Caribbean beach between my toes, sipped homemade rum from a laundry detergent bottle at an open-air bar, or sampled Jamaica’s local herbs (turmeric, of course!). The hot blast of tropical wind that would greet us as we stepped off the plane is a distant memory, and the thieving “naughties” that would swoop down to steal bites of my breakfast seem like figments of my imagination. Yes, traveling has changed a lot since I became a parent. I find photos of friends and their children in foreign countries perplexing, since any sensible customs agent would probably deny entry to my snarling, fussing family.I remember making promises on those sun-drenched beaches to one day expose our future children to new cultures in lifechanging destinations. We met families traveling with infants, toddlers and older kids who made it look easy. Their children splashed happily in the pool and sat quietly during meals. There was no doubt in our minds that our children would be sophisticated world travelers. Then we became parents of two rambunctious boys and realized our lofty aspirations would have to wait until they were older…much older. My kids can make a trip to the grocery store in a mini-van equipped with a DVD player look more difficult than crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a canoe.
Fifty percent of marriages stay together— through sickness and through health, until ultimately death does them part. Nearly all of us walk down that aisle with the intention of being part of this exclusive group. Unfortunately, nearly half of us don't make the cut. If there were only some kind of blueprint to a successful marriage, a list of rules we could follow to remain as happy and in love as the day we said “I do.” Well, perhaps there is one, and maybe it's not as complicated as you imagined it would be to follow.
If you find yourself looking for a celebration beyond the Jordan Almond variety white wedding, you’re in good company. A Google search for “alternative weddings” will yield approximately 70 million hits. Scouring the information, you’ll find ideas from the gothic cemetery wedding (yes, the officiant will carry a scythe), to boutique, glamour-camping weddings in Ireland.
I am married to my high school sweetheart, Jon. I fell in love with him in 10th grade. Twenty-five years ago we got married right out of college and took these simple vows: I take you to be my wedded wife/husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish ‘till death do us part. Saying the words in front of hundreds of friends and family was the easy part. Living those vows every day for the past 25 years has been hard work worth doing.
the bride with domestic supplies from crock pots and ironing boards to a naughty negligee and heated massage oils.
Today’s design savvy bride is all about being chic and unique. Sites such as Etsy and Pinterest, of course, are great sites for creative ideas, but you want to make sure your guest book is a reflection of your personality, wedding theme or venue.
You have cut the cake, tossed the bouquet and relaxed on the beach in the Caribbean. You are tan, happy and have returned from your honeymoon ready to start your new life together as Mr. & Mrs. But before you get too comfy in your new matching robes and slippers, there is still one very important thing the two of you need to do. You now need to write all of your thank you notes.
It’s easy for couples to lose sight of the fact that their wedding day is actually the first day of their marriage. More often than not, they’ll tell you the budget was blown months ago. And even though they started out with good intentions, somewhere along the way things went horribly wrong – the wedding took on a dreaded life of its own. With a solid plan in place that helps you navigate the wedding planning process, you can avoid falling into that trap. By breaking down the big picture into manageable segments, prioritizing your needs and knowing when and how to compromise, you can have the wedding day of your dreams.
To agonize over our names seems silly. After all, it’s just a few words. Certainly our identities are bigger than an arrangement of letters or one particular link to our families, heritages or hometowns. Yet when the time comes, many women agonize over that choice: Do I or don’t I change my name? When I married at 24, I was nearly finished with a graduate degree and already publishing, at least sporadically. Though I wasn’t yet established enough for a name change to have a significant bearing on my professional life, I hoped that I’d go on to develop a substantive writing career and, perhaps selfishly, I didn’t want any future accomplishments of mine credited to a different family. I wanted my father to see my name in print as his name also, imagining that the pride he was sure to feel would be more satisfying this way.
